


Bourne's Webb

by EdenAthene



Category: Bourne (Movies), Jason Bourne (2016)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 04:14:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7920124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdenAthene/pseuds/EdenAthene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the world of espionage, assets are more than deadly weaponized human beings. Just about anything, or anyone, can be an asset.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bourne's Webb

‘I will think about it.’ Bourne was cold and unyielding as he met dark, intensely focused eyes. The slightest hint of vulnerability and pleading entered glimmering dark brown eyes. Heather Lee stood there trying to force him to stay, unwilling to let him walk away like he so obviously intended to. 

‘How will I find you?’ she called after his retreating back. Bourne did not even hesitate. She stood there and watched him walk away before turning her blank stare down to the dark mirror of calm waters spread out at her feet; with the cold winds ruffling her tightly restrained hair. Oh well, she had tried; she calmly walked through the barren trees crushing dead leaves underfoot as she returned to her car while deliberating on her next move.

There was a person sitting in her car waiting for her. Calmly she reached into her pocket and palmed her weapon; they obviously wanted to talk so there was no reason not to indulge them up to the point where it was no longer advantageous to do so.

It was Bourne.

Jason Bourne was sitting in her car, waiting for her and obviously aware of her approaching as his fingers moved over the phone with a speed that spoke of long familiarity.  
‘I have let them know you are bringing me in; and you are the only person I will liaise with willingly.’ He said towards the windscreen, his cold eyes shining palely blue. ‘The rendezvous point has been sent to you; you should be getting it shortly.’

Heather Lee breathed in deeply and let out the tension as she released the weapon. ‘Thank you.’ He slid a cold glance her way before settling back slightly.

JB

Kalloor reached the limousine through the throng of media and slid gratefully into the sanctuary it provided. Grateful for Malcolm’s solid presence. It had been an exhausting few months and he was so glad that there was finally an end in sight. He tipped his head back as he closed his eyes in exhaustion, gathering his thoughts before turning towards Malcom.

Malcolm Smith was staring at him with wide terrified eyes, his hands bound and a gag prominent over his face. A strange man was sitting next to him, and while he did not appear to have a weapon on him there was an air of definite danger. ‘My name is Jason Bourne.’ He said simply.

JB

‘Latest news for those in the know is how Heather Lee was appointed as the director for the CIA. Controversy surrounds her appointment as she is the youngest Director ever to be appointed compounded by her gender and her history within the agency itself. Heather Lee was recruited for her intelligence and technical acumen, however her career path was anything but smooth, at one stage it was a standing comment that it was Monday so she must be in a new department.’ The news reader’s voice was blandly generic as she continued reciting the script ‘Director Russel has defended the decision by pointing out that gender and age are no grounds for discrimination in the modern age where ability is prized.’ The screen switched off with a click.

Bourne tipped his head slightly to the side as he eyed the two men standing guard at the locked door of the conference room. Amusement sliding through his eyes as his lips tilted slightly in a hidden smile towards Heather. She tipped a smile his way and turned back to the board.

‘I would like to clarify your previous statement’ she stated precisely ‘are you in effect saying that by appointing a younger female to the post of Director, that the Central Intelligence Agency is now perceived as weak?’ Bourne moved from where he stood by the window, the two guards tensing at his movement across the room ‘Despite my demonstrable performance?’ Her only reply was silence. ‘I see. Very well, if this is popular opinion I have no choice but to ignore it completely due to its lack of relevance.’ Her eyes turned towards Bourne ‘Jason, let us leave Deputy Directors Crowe and Mortimer to their busy schedules.’ She smiled slightly as she reached him ‘We have much to do ourselves.’

JB

‘In shocking news today two prominent members of the DNI, Deputy Director’s Crowe and Mortimer were found dead this morning in a hotel room. The circumstances of their death have not been made clear …’

‘Did you hear that two of the leading members of our beloved ineptocracy were found dead yesterday morning? Latest is that they died because they were mixing substances. Mankind says thank you and goodbye assholes, don’t slow down as you speed off to your fiery destination.’

‘Give to everyone what you owe them? … yeah right, aint gonna give them nuttin’ ya live by the sword at least have the decency to die by it. Now git that microphone outta ma face’

‘The nation mourns as two patriotic men are laid to rest today …’

JB

‘Aaron Kalloor spoke briefly at the anniversary memorial of his closest friend Malcolm Smith today. Malcolm Smith had died in a tragic accident when the limousine he and Aaron Kalloor were travelling in swerved to avoid a child and collided with a tree, killing Malcom on impact and severely wounding Kalloor. Kalloor has spent the last year secluded from the public as he recovered from his wounds …’ 

Heather stopped playback on the clip and continued reading the report provided by the surveillance officer. Bourne had successfully intimidated Kalloor into silence, and it appeared that even a year later Aaron Kalloor was still scared enough to remain silent on Iron Hand. She smiled at him as he entered her office, bringing her a cup of coffee and Apple Danish.

JB

‘Who is that behind Director Lee?’ Ross whispered to the analyst next to him, he was still new and busy settling into his role after being recruited straight from MIT. Theo Barackis was supposed to chaperone him around the first month but he had just walked up to the analyst and pointed a finger at Ross saying a single word ‘Babysit.’ And then Theo had walked away leaving him with an unknown person who had simply rolled her eyes at him and pointed to the empty chair next to her. This was the first briefing he was part of and he was eager to see how he could contribute. He just knew he could change things for the better, all he needed was an opportunity to show what he could do.

‘That’s Bourne.’ She muttered tersely. Ross had heard of him, Jason Bourne was a legend, example and boogieman that he had been warned about within two days of joining the agency. Ross looked at the unassuming man, standing behind Director Lee’s left shoulder; he was smaller than Ross expected and calmer, he had a solid presence to him that was almost soothing. ‘Are you sure that’s Bourne?’ he frowned in confusion ‘He has no fangs or claws dripping blood, isn’t he supposed to be bigger too?’ he slid a teasing glance over to the analyst and gulped. Her eyes were flat and cold. ‘That is Jason Bourne, Director Lee’s assistant.’ She stated coldly and turned away dismissively. Oops, OK so no jokes about Bourne being not so scary.

‘Bourne belongs to Director Lee and is fiercely loyal to her; she says fetch, and he brings her the bleeding carcass of her enemies. She says go, and he hunts down anybody who has displeased her.’ Ross turned wide startled eyes towards the analyst ‘You do not joke about Bourne or about Director Lee.’ Her eyes slid sideways to the memorial wall and focussed intensely on Ross’s open face. ‘If you want to live you will learn fast. Now hush, its starting’

Of course that is where it started for Ross too, curiosity is not the sole province of felines; and while he learnt in the briefing that he had a long way to go before he could contribute, he did learn that Bourne was really interesting. The problem with hiring an MIT graduate, who was admittedly brilliant and leading the field regarding information security, was that the graduate in question was bored. Really bored, and here was an interesting riddle begging to be solved.

Ross found every piece of information there was on the system, he slipped in and found what he wanted and never even raised the alarm. People just never thought outside the box, all that security was wasted when unconventional methods were used. He grinned in delight as he finally got the last file; now all he had to do was go through it and find the last piece of information that would complete the picture he had been building. This was not a happy story, but it was an educational one; Ross now had a much better idea of the situation he found himself in. He should have said no to Uncle Sam, Ross did not fit in at the Agency and he did not want to. Treacherous did not even begin to describe his working environment. 

The more files he read and the more he got to know about the story behind Jason Bourne, the more disillusioned he became with the Agency. He just could not work out why Bourne had come back and why he was so loyal to Heather Lee. Ross leaned back in his chair as he sighed, stretching his shoulders and running his hands through his hair. Bourne just did not make sense. He huffed in frustration and got up to go make himself coffee. Navigating through the gloom towards the kitchen by pure memorization. 

It had not been easy or quick to secure his home, but he had been making modifications since he bought the building. Not that anybody knew he was the owner, he had hidden that in shell companies and using every legal trick in the book to make sure that nobody knew that Sheldon Lorre was the person behind BBT Ink. Sometimes Ross had a bit of difficulty working out who he was, Sheldon or Ross, Mute Monk or 9000Hime.

Maybe Bourne was so interesting because he was a riddle without an answer, a man without a name; Bourne was so enigmatic that he was essentially faceless and without an identity of his own.   
The same could be said of Ross; Mute Monk was a ghost online, a hacktivist that only tackled projects once thoroughly vetted – his presence practically a guarantee of success. 9000Hime was a YouTube celebrity with over 5 million subscribers, so shy that nobody ever saw their face, and yet always up to date in the latest tech and generous with advice. Sheldon Lorre was a shadowy person behind a corporation that specialised in selling information; and Ross Jensen was a faceless drone in the Agency. He had originally joined with the thought that he could improve matters in a quadrant that he had not been able to originally gain a foot hold in. 

Ross now understood better what was happening in the Agency, and there was no changing things. The very nature of the business and the Agency itself meant that it would always be corrupt and callous; even if it was burnt down to the foundations whatever rose from the ashes would eventually become corrupt too. Ross no longer had a reason for existing; he served no purpose. Mute Monk was thinking of erasing Ross and starting again. Perhaps it was time to resurrect Michael Ingram? 

He was watching the rain slide down the window pane, his face barely reflected in the glass with the dark room behind him. The only reason Ross Jensen even existed now was Bourne and he had the feeling he had reached the limit of what Ross could find – the truth did not lie in memory banks on a system; it was securely locked inside Bourne’s mind. He could get to the information if he wanted, but he did not want to ruin the masterpiece in a bid to understand it better. Bourne was a work of art, strength of will and determination and the measures required to extract the information would break him. Ross was not willing to pay that price for satisfying is curiosity. A shadow moved behind Ross as someone slipped silently into the kitchen.

Ross turned around and lifted a cup out of the cupboard, putting one teaspoon of sugar in and poured some of the freshly brewed coffee in before sliding it over the counter to where Bourne was sitting at his kitchen counter. ‘So, am I going to die tonight?’ he calmly asked as he watched Bourne sip.

‘Yes.’

JB

‘Is it done?’ her dark eyes glimmered as all her attention focussed in on him.

‘Yes.’

‘Thank you Jason, you are as ever indispensable.’ Her lips parted in a soft smile as she leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. ‘I feel like taking an early night tonight, are you joining me now or later?’

His blue eyes crinkled in a slight smile ‘I am certainly not going to give up any precious time I have with you.’ He slipped an arm around her waist on the way to their room. 

‘That gets you breakfast in bed tomorrow.’ Heather teased with a light laugh.

JB

Michael was popular and brilliant, he was the best thing to ever happen to the Agency. Not only was he effective, he was also pragmatic – which in their world translated to being ruthless when required. The true marvel was that when he did not need to be practical he was truly interested in the people he worked with. Within a year of being recruited to the tech department he was running it, and soon afterwards he was sitting in on high level meetings with the other department heads and Director Lee.

When Michael and Heather started discussing networks and bandwidths the other department heads sat back in confusion and silently contemplated the truly massive changes that these two people symbolised. A trained killer as an assistant, and taking minutes, while two techies yelled about bandwidth and argued over how to condense encryption software enough to make it viable on standalone mobile devices.  
On one memorable occasion Bourne had even sat back and smiled at the two of them when they got really heated, causing them to stop arguing with sheepish looks at his reproving stare. It was nice for the department heads to see Heather relax enough to be human. Michael Ingram was a god send, they all unanimously agreed, he was the only one who could possibly keep up with Heather Lee; other than Bourne, of course, but in an entirely different way.

JB

Heather Lee got home late that night, dinner had been interrupted by an emergency call that meant going back to the office. It was difficult to be surrounded by so many ineffective people; she had to abandon a truly superb prawn salad, to sort out a problem created by an idiot who had not taken the time to think before acting. Her title should not be Director but Chief Fire Captain, as she spent the majority of her day putting out fires created by others’ incompetence.

Finally once she was within her inner sanctum she relaxed enough to sneer in contempt as she shrugged out of her jacket, hanging it on the hook by the door. Jason Bourne was already on his way to handle the situation, she had watched him board the plane with light glimmering in her eyes and a trembling kiss on her lips. It was worth the playacting though, he repaid every effort she made and every vulnerable moment with intense loyalty. He truly had turned into a marvellous investment. She smiled in victory as she walked into her den – the lights automatically becoming brighter and her computer waking up as she tripped the sensors.

Jason Bourne was sitting at her computer desk, her weapons were in her jacket by the door.

‘Jason? Did something happen?’ she put on a worried frown as she moved forward. He clicked the mouse once and a clip started playing on the screen. It was of a vehicle in traffic, and her voice and that of Director Russel were discussing who would replace Director Dewey and the disposition of one Jason Bourne. Heather stayed calm as she heard her cool voice stating that Jason Bourne would either become an asset for the Agency or would be disposed of. The unsaid ‘either way we win’ echoed within her den. 

His blue eyes stayed steady on hers. ‘I was originally going to leave this recording in your car and walk away.’ His eyes were kind and relentless ‘but you were right; I am a patriot and I could not allow you to become Director. Yet there was no way to stop you; so I decided to join you and watch what you did.’ He smiled bitterly ‘You were almost perfect right till you started sending me out after your opponents.’ 

JB

Director Ingram took the podium solemnly ‘The late Director Lee is a formidable act to follow.’ His eyes crinkled slightly ‘She was the youngest Director ever appointed, and the only female. She was strong, fearless and had a clear vision towards the future.’ He smiled at the audience ‘We fought constantly, argued over bandwidth, bickered over paperwork and often brought meetings to a halt as we disagreed vociferously. Jason once said that the only way he survived it when I came over for dinner was the copious wine served with the meal.’ His smile faded ‘Jason I am sorry for your loss, I know how much she meant to you; don’t forget us though, even though Heather is no longer with us, we are still your friends.’ He raised a glass of wine in salute ‘By the way, keep your Friday nights open; I will continue coming over for dinner – you do have excellent taste in wine, and you make the most awesome Bacon Carbonara it has ever been my privilege to eat.’

‘To Heather Lee – truly the start of a new age.’ He smiled at the cheers from his audience and took a sip of wine, his eyes steady on Jason.


End file.
